Search for missing plane has intensified following orders from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after conflicting reports of the wreckage being found near Greek island of Karpathos were reported by EgyptAir

Brit Richard Osman, pictured with his wife and daughter, is feared to have been killed on the downed plane (Image: Athena)

There were 56 passengers on board, including a child and two babies, and 10 crew. The airline said the passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis and one each from Britain, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria, Canada, Belgium, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

The airline has also provided free contact numbers for families concerned for relatives. From outside of Egypt, anyone concerned should call+ 202 25989320

Recap after EgyptAir flight MS804 goes missing with 66 people on board

EgyptAir MS804 went missing over the Mediterranean Sea with 66 passengers and crew on board during a flight from Paris to Cairo in what Egypt said could have been a terrorist attack.

The Egyptian civil aviation ministry initially said Greek authorities had found “floating material” and life jackets likely to be from the plane, but EgyptAir later said that the wreckage had not been found.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the search for the missing plane is “intensified” and demanded the civil aviation ministry, the army’s search and rescue centre, the navy, and the air force take all necessary measures.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said it was too early to rule out any explanation for the crash, including an attack like the one blamed for bringing down a Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula last year.

The country’s aviation minister said a terrorist attack was more likely than a technical failure.

The aircraft was carrying 56 passengers, including one child and two infants, and 10 crew, EgyptAir said.

There were 56 passengers on board, including a child and two babies, and 10 crew. The airline said the passengers included 30 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis and one each from Britain, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Algeria, Canada, Belgium, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The British passenger was named as Richard Osman, from Wales but living in Jersey, who only became a father to his second daughter two weeks ago.

Richard Osman who is feared to have died on the downed plane (Image: Athena)

23:02

EgyptAir turn social media pages black in tribute to missing plane

EgyptAir changed its Twitter page to black and white today

EgyptAir has turned its social media profiles to black in tribute to the missing plane this evening.

The airline’s logo, which is usually blue and white, has been changed to black and white on both its Twitter and Facebook page.

A banner now displays at the top showing the word MS804 - in reference to the number of the downed flight.

EgyptAir changed its Facebook page to black and white in tribute to the downed flight

22:56

EgyptAir said debris found in Mediterranean was not from missing flight

EgyptAir has confirmed that debris found in the Mediterranean Sea was not from missing flight 804, it was reported.

Vice Chairman Ahmed Adel said the airline ‘stood corrected’ on what it earlier identified as being part of the plane.

He told CNN: “We stand corrected on finding the wreckage because what we identified is not a part of our plane. So the search and rescue is still going on.”

Greek rescue workers found lifevests and bits of plastic floating in the Mediterranean after an EgyptAir jet carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar.

22:13

Investigators 'probe whether "bomb" was smuggled on plane during stop at previous airport'

The plane's route on the day before it crashed

This graphic shows the route the EgyptAir flight MS804 had taken in the day before it crashed.

The aircraft had previously stopped in Eritrea and Tunisia before the flight from Paris to Cairo on late Wednesday night.

It was on its fifth journey of the day, having already flown from Paris to Cairo and back, and been to Tunisia and Eritrea.

Sources said it spent just 90 minutes on the tarmac before setting off from Charles de Gaulle for Cairo.

Ground crews and screening staff who were working at Charles de Gaulle and Tunis airports are to be quizzed.

Phil Giles, a former investigator with the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said a ‘Lockerbie-style’ device was a possible culprit.

He said: “It’s a real mystery, but it sounds at this early stage that there could have been a device, placed on the plane earlier at another airport in some kind of Lockerbie situation.

“It may have been placed on board at Paris, though security is very tight there already. We may see a focus on the air-side staff there in the coming days.”

22:02

EgyptAir offers condolences to passengers families in first admission they've died

EgyptAir has offered its condolences to the families of passengers who were on board its airplane in its first admission that they had died.

“EgyptAir expresses condolences to the families of the plane’s victims and expresses its deep sorrow over this tragic accident. The company affirms it will take all measures to handle the situation and will conduct a comprehensive investigation,” Egypt’s national airline said in a statement on Twitter.

The airline earlier claimed in a statement that wreckage of the plane had been found but it has since been reported that the debris was not from the downed aircraft.

EgyptAir aircraft (Image: PA )

21:52KEY EVENT

'No signs of explosion aboard crashed plane', officials say

Officials say they have been no signs of an explosion on board the crashed plane as part of a review of satellite imagery so far.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the conclusion was the result of a preliminary examination of imagery and cautioned against media reports suggesting the United States believed a bomb was responsible for the crash.

The United States has not ruled out any possible causes for the crash, including mechanical failure, terrorism or a deliberate act by the pilot or crew, they said.

An EgyptAir plane on the runway at Paris (Image: REUTERS)

21:38

Some French and Portuguese victims named

Some of the victims on board the downed plane have been named.

One of those was Ahmed Helal, a director of a Procter & Gamble production facility in Amiens, France. He was on a personal trip, according to the American consumer goods company.

“This is a very difficult moment for all P&G people, especially for employees of Amiens’ site,” the company said.

Joao David e Silva specialised in emerging markets and worked for the Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil.

Relatives and friends of passengers who were flying on the missing EgyptAir flight (Image: REUTERS)

The 62-year-old married father of four was based in Johannesburg because of his job although his family lives in Lisbon, a Portuguese government source said. Without revealing his name, the company confirmed one of its employees was on the flight.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Dion said “based on the information currently available, we confirm that two Canadian citizens are among the passengers on this flight.”

Global Affairs Canada did not release the names or hometowns of the Canadian nationals, however EgyptAir confirmed that Marwa Hamdy was a Canadian passenger on board the flight.

21:29

Egyptian president orders immediate 'intensified search' for plane

The Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered an immediate intensified search for EgyptAir MS804.

He has demanded that the civil aviation ministry, the army’s search and rescue centre, the navy, and the air force take all necessary measures to locate debris from the EgyptAir plane that disappeared early on Thursday.

In a statement issued by his office, Sisi also ordered an investigative committee formed by the civil aviation ministry to immediately start investigating the causes of the plane’s disappearance.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called for an immediate investigation

20:50

Two Canadians on board downed EgyptAir plane, it's confirmed

Two Canadian citizens were on board the EgyptAir plane, the Canadian government confirmed.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said that officials were working with authorities to confirm whether there were any other Canadian citizens on board.

As well as the two Canadians, those on board, included 15 French passengers, 30 Egyptians, two Iraqis, one Briton, one Kuwaiti, one Saudi, one Sudanese, one Chadian, one Portuguese, one Belgian and one Algerian, according to EgyptAir and various governments.

The passengers included two babies.

Families of passengers who were flying on board the flight comfort each other (Image: Getty)

The brother of the British victim feared to be among those on board the downed EgyptAir flight has suggested ISIS could be behind the tragedy.

Alastair Osman has paid tribute to his brother, describing him as a ‘kind, loving person’ in an interview with ITV News.

He told the broadcaster: “Richard was a very kind person, a loving person, very focused.

“He was a workaholic, and never deviated from a straight path. He was a very admirable person and a lot of people admired him for his strength and values.”

Speaking about concerns the crash could be terror related, he added: “This is the reality of ISIS and groups like that. It’s indiscriminate. They don’t think any of these people have family members, or a past, or a history of hopes and dreams.

“It’s indiscriminate. It happens, you know what I mean - I still really can’t believe that it has actually, or there’s a great possibility that it has happened.”

Greek air safety authorities 'deny finding EgyptAir wreckage'

The airline earlier released a statement claiming the Greek authorities had discovered debris, including life jackets and floating pieces of plastic, from the plane near the island of Karpathos.

But now the Greek authorities, who are assisting in the search operation, have said the debris is “not from an aircraft”.

Athanassios Binis, head of Greece’s Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board, told ERT TV that “an assessment of the finds showed that they do not belong to an aircraft”, and that had been confirmed by Egyptian authorities.

20:00

Moment US Navy takes off in search for remains of EgyptAir wreckage

This footage shows the moment the US Navy’s P-3 Orion took off to support the search and recovery mission for the missing EgyptAir plane.

The surveillance aircraft is supporting the Hellenic Armed Forces, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Greece, in response to a request by the U.S. Embassy in Athens.

Wreckage from the flight was found earlier this evening.

The US State Department said there was no indication American citizens were on board the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean

en route from Paris to Cairo.

State Department spokesman John Kirby told a daily news briefing there were no reports yet of any US citizens on the flight, which carried 66 passengers and crew.

He said it was too soon to speculate on the cause of the crash.

19:24

EgyptAir flight 'downed by Lockerbie-style timed bomb'

Investigators are looking into whether a device was placed on the Airbus A320 from Paris to Cairo before it went missing with 66 people on board, including one Brit, in the early hours of this morning.

Wreckage from the plane , which had been flying 10 miles inside Egyptian airspace when it made “sudden swerves”, has since been discovered near the Greek island of Karpathos.

The plane, which had previously stopped in Eritrea and Tunisia, plunged 22,000ft while spinning at 360 degrees before disappearing off radar.

Investigators are looking into whether a Lockerbie-style device was placed on the aircraft in Tunis or Asmara before it landed in Paris.

There are fears a Lockerbie-style bomb could have been on board (Image: REUTERS/Greg Bos/Files)

It was on its fifth journey of the day, having already flown from Paris to Cairo and back, and been to Tunisia and Eritrea.

Sources said it spent just 90 minutes on the tarmac before setting off from Charles de Gaulle for Cairo.

Ground crews and screening staff who were working at Charles de Gaulle and Tunis airports are to be quizzed.

And French sources said CCTV footage from inside Terminal 1 and airside at the airport has already been seized.

Phil Giles, a former investigator with the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said a ‘Lockerbie-style’ device was a possible culprit.

He said: “It’s a real mystery, but it sounds at this early stage that there could have been a device, placed on the plane earlier at another airport in some kind of Lockerbie situation.

“It may have been placed on board at Paris, though security is very tight there already. We may see a focus on the air-side staff there in the coming days.”

18:06

EgyptAir confirms wreckage of MS804 has been found

A lifejacket found near the wreckage of EgyptAir MS804 flight (Image: Twitter)

EgyptAir has released a statement confirming that wreckage of the missing MS804 flight had been found.

The debris was discovered near the Greek island of Karpathos, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a letter to the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The statement said: “EgyptAir sincerely conveys its deepest sorrow to the families and friends of the passengers onboard Flight MS804.

“Family members of passengers and crew have been already informed and we extend our deepest sympathies to those affected the Egyptian Investigation Team in co-operation with the Greek counterpart are still searching for other remains of the missing plane.”

The announcement comes as Egypt’s envoy to France said Greek authorities had informed his counterpart in Athens that they had found blue and white debris as part of its search for a missing EgyptAir plane.

“All I will say is that our embassy in Athens told us that it was contacted by Greek authorities who signalled that they found white and blue debris corresponding to EgyptAir’s colours,” Ehab Badawy told BFM television.

“I can’t confirm it is the debris, but it would be reasonable to think it is the debris of this plane,” he said.

“Richard was so happy at the birth of his second daughter, and yet two weeks later he is no longer with us - it’s an absolute tragedy.

“He was really happy about having the baby and was looking forward to enjoying a lovely family life with his two girls.”

The family’s main home is in Jersey, and Richard had worked in the Australian goldmines before returning to Europe several years ago.

The family have a younger brother, Philip, 34, who runs a string of bars in Thailand.

17:35

White House say it's 'too early to say what caused EgyptAir crash'

The White House says it’s too early to say what could have caused the EgyptAir flight to crash, it’s reported.

The US government has also offered its condolences to the families of the victims.

It comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry said he had no special information about why the plane disappeared, adding that he would not speculate on the cause.

“Relevant authorities are doing everything they can to try and find out what the facts are of what happened today. I have no more knowledge than others at this point with respect to those facts,” Kerry told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

17:30

Greece scales back search for EgyptAir plane

Greece will scale back its search and rescue asset sent to help with the mission after debris believed to be from the aircraft was found in waters under Egyptian jurisdiction, Greek government sources said.

A Greek frigate and helicopters were sent to the area south of the island of Karpathos after the plane dropped off radars overnight in Egyptian airspace minutes after leaving Greek airspace.

A transport aircraft would remain in the area, the sources added.

Pieces of plastic and two lifejackets were found in the sea area about 230 miles (370 km) south of Crete.

It was all found in waters under Egyptian jurisdiction, a Greek defence source said. Greek authorities earlier reported the aircraft took a sharp 90 degree turn left, and then spun 360 degrees in the opposite direction as it plunged from cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to 15,000 feet before disappearing off radars.

17:21

Footage shot from search aircraft shows possible debris

A video purporting to shows possible debris from the EgyptAir flight floating in the sea has emerged.

The footage is said to have been taken from the search aircraft scanning the waters where the plane is thought to have been downed.

It comes as Britain confirmed it has sent the RAF to join the search from its Cyprus base as well as 16,000-tonne landing dock ship RFA Lyme Bay.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of those on board EgyptAir flight MS804 as they await further information.

“To support the ongoing search efforts, I have today directed RFA Lyme Bay to the area, and I have also offered a C-130 Hercules aircraft from RAF Akrotiri to support the Egyptian-led effort.

“We stand ready to offer further assistance should it be required.”

17:01

David Cameron says he 'absolutely feels' for the families after tragedy

David Cameron has described the missing plane as a ‘dreadful event’ as he sends his thoughts to the families.

The Prime Minister told LBC Radio this evening: “I absolutely feel for them [the families].

“This is obviously a dreadful event. We don’t know very much right now about what’s happened.

“We know that there was one British national on the plane. It looks as if it has gone down in the Mediterranean.”

He added: “I think it’s too early to speculate about what the cause was.

“We simply don’t know but all the experts are talking to each other and trying to work out what has happened and when we know more, we’ll be able to say more.”

His thoughts come as it was confirmed Britain has sent the 16,000-tonne landing dock ship RFA Lyme Bay to help with the search.

She is due to arrive in the area of the plane’s last known position late tonight, Downing Street said.

The ship, which was already in the Mediterranean, and her 60 crew will search along the track of the jet’s route.

An RAF Hercules C-130 plane from Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus was also deployed.

The UK Government is treating the incident as an “important priority”, with officials from a number of Whitehall departments working on it throughout the day and ministers briefed when necessary, said Number 10.

16:49KEY EVENT

First picture of Brit victim Richard Osman

This is the British victim Richard Osman who is feared to be on the missing plane (Image: Wales News Service)

The plane was flying from Paris to Cairo. Life jackets have been found in the south Mediterranean, Greek defence sources said.

15:19Nigel Thompson

'Crash is final nail in coffin for Egypt's tourism industry'

Egypt has been working extremely hard to demonstrate the country is safe to visit for Western holidaymakers - but it appears today’s crash shows it is clearly not, says the Mirror’s Nigel Thompson.

He writes:

Obviously we do not know the exact cause of the disappearance of EgyptAir flight MS804 over the Med, but sadly the early signs do all point to an act of terror.

Planes are extremely complex machines and of course they do sometimes crash .

But it’s extremely rare that they do, and it’s mostly during take-off and landing and often down to mechanical failure, adverse weather and pilot error.

Only around 10 per cent of aviation accidents are in what is termed the ‘cruise’ stage, when the plane is basically flying itself on autopilot at a cruising altitude of typically 35,000ft to 40,000ft with the flight deck crew monitoring progress and ready to intervene immediately if there’s an issue.